The Circuit: 2018 is The Year of the (Under) Dog

THE CIRCUIT

LEADING AUTHORITIES' ROUND UP OF THOUGHT LEADERSHIP, TRENDS, AND PERSONALITIES ON THE SPEAKING CIRCUIT

Motivation on the Run
When retired Marine Sergeant Rob Jones was injured by a land mine and suffered a double above-the-knee leg amputation, he remained focused on the goal of living a life full of purpose and meaning. Seven years later he completed a month-long back to back marathon challenge, running 31 marathons in 31 days in 31 different major cities. Of his accomplishment Jones said, “I decided I would create this story of a veteran that was wounded and thrived from it, I think I accomplished that mission.” You know you’ve made it when the kids are impressed – after his final marathon, a 12 year old spectator was quoted as saying, “I think it’s pretty cool, he’ll go down as a legend.”

Pearls of Wisdom
Diving head-first into the world of finance, Carla Harris—a young, black, female student at Harvard who grew up in the south in the 60’s and 70's—decided she was going to work on Wall Street. Now after 30 years of success, she’s sharing her “pearls of wisdom” and explains why being smart and working hard isn’t enough and challenges leaders to “look around the room.” Millennials, Harris says, expect to see diversity in the upper ranks, “and they are getting into positions of leadership faster than we did. That is what’s going to cause companies that have been around for a long time to change.” With incredible messages for both leaders and professionals entering or trying to grow their careers, Harris is mentoring both ends of the spectrum with lessons around risk-taking, perception, and why you should never accept advice to “keep your head down.”

Age is Just a Number
Called a “unicorn” by the Washington Post, Lisa Jaster became the first female Army Reserve officer to became a Ranger at the age of 37. No small feat in its own (Army Ranger school is one of the most grueling combat training programs in the world), her accomplishment is made even more staggering by the statistics that surround it: The average trainee is 23—and male. Prior to receiving her Ranger tab, Lisa worked as an engineer with Shell Oil in Houston and an Army Reserve individual mobilization augmentee with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “There’s no quitting,” Jaster says. “I can’t have quit in me. There was never an option to stop and quit.”

In the Dog House
Lest we forget our representatives on Capitol Hill, National Editor of the Cook Political Report Amy Walter sat down with The Federalist to talk about the midterm elections, voters, and likely candidates. She hit on changing voter habits, as a result of the American public’s increased polarization, and the candidates who are underdogs as we head into the midterms. She also talked about redistricting, but emphasized voter behavior as the big story.